Sarah Pruys
Just like her mother and grandmother before her, Dianne Stafford always has found the outdoors to be a fascinating place.
Knowledge about the woods was passed on from them, but she also has learned a lot by looking things up simply because she wanted to know more.
And now Stafford plans to pass her acquired knowledge onto others in a series of “bush skills” workshops.
Along with her friend, Kathy Oakes, Stafford has been busy planning five unique courses that will teach people all about surviving in the bush.
“I have four different bush trails [on our property] that we’ll be using,” she explained.
“Our bush is kind of crazy but ideal for this,” she noted. “It’s regular bush, which is deciduous trees, and then all of the sudden it changes into complete spruce.
“And then it goes into higher ground again and there’s a gravel pit, and then there’s a field.
“And one of the other trails is a swamp trail, and it goes through a lot lower ground,” she added.
Stafford said the workshops will offer a “hands-on experience.”
“It’s okay for someone to tell you something, but you need to see it yourself and feel it and compare to something else [in order to learn and understand],” she reasoned.
The first workshop is entitled “Identification,” which focuses on identifying native species of plants, trees, and shrubs.
Participants will learn 25 different trees and shrubs, as well as 50 different plants, by their leaves, barks, flowers, habitat, height, and seeds.
“We talk about bush communities, and how the plants and the trees are interrelated, and a bit about stewardship, as well,” Stafford remarked.
The first workshop also includes a workbook of all of the plants and trees which Stafford and Oakes have photographed and done write-ups for.
“At the end of the workshop, if anyone is interested in getting a copy of the book, then it will be available on a disc,” she said.
The other workshops also will have the information available later, hopefully with pictures of the participants included “so it’s more personal.”
The second workshop looks at different edible plants in “Edibles and Teas.” Here, participants will find different plants, such as dandelions and cattails, that can be collected and prepared into different foods and teas.
Depending on when this workshop is held may change the types of plants available.
“Everyone will get to sample them [the teas] and see what they like,” Stafford noted.
“Fire Making,” meanwhile, examines the different ways to start a fire without using matches. Tools used will include a striker, flint and steel, and a fire piston, as well as the bow and drill method.
Using these methods, people will create a spark, which then can be used to ignite the tinder and consequently the fire.
While all the workshops focus on nature and using what can be found in the bush, this workshop also educates people on 15 different synthetic tinders that can be found in the home, as well as 15 that can be found in the woods.
“Making Cordage” is the fourth workshop, which shows people how ropes and twines can be easily made from different grasses, cattails, willow bark, and fireweed.
“Hopefully, everybody will make two or three feet of cordage from each material,” Stafford said.
Lastly will be a photography workshop, run by Oakes, which teaches people how to photograph nature. They will practise taking photos of flowers, butterflies, and plants.
Stafford believes the skills acquired in the first four workshops are very valuable to people living in this area.
They are skills “that our ancestors used, and they knew how to survive without all of the modern conveniences,” she explained.
“And these skills would help anybody in an emergency situation—if you get lost.
“Knowing how to make rope in the bush would be very helpful and knowing how to make a fire, as well as what’s edible,” she reasoned.
“It’s good to know your environment,” Stafford reiterated. “We live here [yet] a lot of people don’t know much about what kinds of trees there are, what wild fruit is there.
“I’m anxious to get it going, and I would like to see groups of people come if they would like to,” she concluded.
The cost of each full-day workshop is $45, which runs from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and includes a barbecue lunch at her campsite, along with snacks during the day.
Dates will be set depending on interest.
To register or for more information, call Stafford (483-5585) or Oakes (807-852-4381), or e-mail them at joycedstafford@live.ca or katoakes@yahoo.ca
